It's Wairimu
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Kenya will be able to identify, assess and track new variants of Covid-19 following Britain’s support to study its genetic makeup and behaviour.
The UK’s New Variant Assessment Platform Programme (NVAP) can read the virus’s building blocks, in what will aid in understanding how it spreads and evolves.
The virus that causes Covid-19 frequently mutates and has so far killed 3,705 people in Kenya since it was first reported in the country in March last year.
“The contribution and support from the UK on genomic sequencing will assist in the response to the current pandemic and will help us fight future pandemics together,” Health cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe said yesterday in a statement.
The support from the UK includes reagents and equipment to increase in-country sequencing, technical advice, bioinformatics support, and training.
The UK has offered similar support to Ethiopia, Nigeria, Brazil and Pakistan.
In Kenya, tracking of new covid-19 variants will be achieved through a partnership between the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and the UK’s Public Health England.
“Now we will share our expertise to work together in identifying, tracking and responding to new variants with Kenya, saving lives here and around the world,” said British High Commissioner Jane Marriott.
The country has so far recorded 186,959 positive cases, with a positivity rate of 6.9 percent.
Medical experts have warned that the highly contagious Covid-19 delta variant may spark a fourth wave of infections in the country over the next two months.
The rapidly transmissible strain, first identified in India, was reported in western Kenya, days after it was detected in Uganda.
With the use of NVAP it will be possible to pick up in samples from people and the environment tye genetic code or mutations of the virus, thus understand its spread